Northern Ireland: international friendly planned for March in Belfast
Last updated 14th Jan 2022
Northern Ireland are to play Hungary in a friendly in March, it was confirmed today.
The match, a warm-up for Nations League programme, takes place at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on Tuesday 29 March (kick-off 7.45pm).
The two countries last met during the qualifiers for Euro 2016. Goals from Niall McGinn and Kyle Lafferty secured a key 2-1 win in Budapest in September 2014 before Lafferty popped up with an even more important late equaliser in a 1-1 draw in Belfast a year later which paved the way for his country to qualify for the European Championship finals in France in 2016.
Like Northern Ireland, Hungary will be using the friendly in Belfast as preparation for competing in the UEFA Nations League this summer and autumn.
The Hungarians were promoted from League B in the second edition of the competition – from a group featuring Russia, Serbia and Turkey.
In League A they will face European champions Italy, England and Germany in June and September.
Hungary will be no pushover.
They caught the eye at Euro 2020 last summer after drawing with both France (1-1) and Germany (2-2) at the tournament.
Earlier this week it was announced that Northern Ireland will also face Luxembourg in a friendly in March. That game will be staged on Friday 25 March at the Stade de Luxembourg in Luxembourg City (kick-off time TBC).
Ian Baraclough’s side, who were relegated from UNL League B last time around, are the top seeds in Group 2 in League C of the 2022-23 competition.
Their UNL schedule this year is as follows: home v Greece (2 June); away to Cyprus or Estonia (5 June); away v Kosovo (9 June); home against Cyprus/Estonia (12 June); Kosovo at home (24 September); Greece away on 27 September.